Desert Rose
by bunnielle
Summary: Anzu Mazaki is the renowned, famous thief in Egypt. Yami is the Pharaoh, Seto the high priest...when they stumble upon her, she loses her memory. when she regains it, what happens then?
1. Meet Anzu

Innocence  
  
A/N: This is my second fanfic, so please be nice. I HATE my first fanfic. Anyways, read and enjoy!  
  
"The Desert Rose! Aha! Alas!" Anzu smiled. "A pretty gem of a rose for the Desert Rose herself!" Anzu Mazaki twirled the emerald/ruby/gold flower in her hand.  
  
The famous Desert Rose, Anzu Mazaki, was known everywhere for her fascinating beauty and how she could rob people with just one line of her slick, honeying voice. Her ocean-blue eyes looked at the vast Egyptian desert upon her. She looked beautiful, her chocolate-colored hair swinging in the wind. She only robbed for the poor, but she the jeweled Rose was beautiful. She was a loner, and everybody was out to get her.  
  
The poor respected her. The rich hated her. She often let the handsome guards of the Pharaoh's palace catch her, only to escape easily, taunting them with her honey voice and beauty. She had never met the Pharaoh, or his royal advisor, the High Priest.  
  
She headed toward the village, wearing her beggar's clothes, and leaving her horse to her hiding spot. Her beggar clothes were soft and leathery, worn from when she was younger. She was seventeen this year, and men were taking looks to her. When she was younger, she only had rags. She only dressed in rags, to give her a look of innocence. She didn't wear any makeup. She was a fierce loner. And she thought her clothes were perfectly fine. She didn't realize that her worn leather rags gave the perfect look for her curves, and added extra spice to it, and her rag skirt was short, revealing perfect long legs. She walked barefoot, her feet sinking into the sand.  
  
Many of the village man, all young and handsome, smiled at the girl. She paid them no heed. Anzu Mazaki was a loner, and the only friends she had were the desert, her horse, the animals of Egypt, and two more friends.Isis and Malik Ishtar. She walked to their little hut. The brother/sister were very poor, and the only ones that knew this village girl was the Desert Rose, and that her name was Anzu Mazaki.  
  
Malik was handsome, tall, and had blond hair, bleached by the high Egyptian sun. He had once asked Anzu how she kept her hair so brown and chocolaty. "It is my natural hair color, Malik. Besides, I think you look fine blond." Malik had a secret crush on the young girl, and his sister often scolded him for it.  
  
"Anzu is a loner, Malik. She's you-know-what. And I know she's gorgeous and all, but you'll find your match someday." Malik just stared at Anzu, and even in her raggedy clothes, she looked beautiful. Isis flipped a length of her long raven-black hair back. "I don't know about you, Malik, my brother, but I've got my eyes set on that boy, Ryou."  
  
"Don't be silly, Isis. Ryou is personal advisor to the Pharaoh, along with another one of those snobby high priests."  
  
Isis smiled dreamily. "I met him once. He was very kind to me."  
  
"He only wants you for your beauty."  
  
Isis snorted. "If he wanted beauty, he'd take after Anzu."  
  
"Shush, here she comes. I see the sun gracing on her heavenly body." Malik smiled to himself.  
  
Isis bonked Malik in the head (Malik isn't right for Anzu!). "Hi, Anzu!" Isis smiled sweetly. The entire village knew Anzu as Anzu. Anzu Mazaki on a horse, with a lovely red rose in her hair and in boots and a skirt saw her as the Desert Rose.  
  
"Isis, Malik." Anzu nodded, afraid to be cheerful or bubbly. She wasn't going to be hurt. By anybody. Nobody would find out about her past.about her father. A gold necklace glowed at her throat. It was her Millennium Tauk, given to her by Isis. Isis had told her that it was Anzu that rightfully possessed it. "The Tauk looks beautiful on you." Malik commented hopefully.  
  
"Don't push it, Malik." Anzu replied, laughing. "Here's a few coins a snagged for you, Isis." Anzu whispered, pushing sixteen gold coins towards Isis. "Buy yourself something new for Ryou." She lowered her voice once more. "I heard by the guards that Ryou has met someone 'new and invigorating.' Good luck, Isis." The two giggled under their breath.  
  
"Malik.Anzu and I are going to the market to buy some bread and cheese for midday lunch." Isis called to her brother.  
  
"I should come.and protect you." Malik puffed himself up. "I'm sure I'll be okay, Malik." Isis nodded.  
  
"Not you." Malik narrowed his eyes, and raised his Millennium Rod, "Anzu." "I'll be fine.Malik. You're forgetting who I am and what I have." And Malik saw the Desert Rose, with the blooming wet red rose tucked in her hair, short skirt, magnificent horse, and the Millennium Tauk that lay at her throat. The two disappeared, and Malik watched Isis leave in her innocent long white dress that Anzu had specifically bought for her, and Anzu in her sexy, two-piece outfit that showed much skin. He watched as the girls walked gracefully, barefoot towards the heart of the city, where he knew that the two of them would trap many hearts.  
  
* * *  
  
Yami looked up at his two high priests, the most trusted people in the world, Seto Kaiba and Ryou Bakura. "Who is this Desert Rose you talk about?" He asked sternly. He had heard of the famous, lusciously beautiful thief. He and Seto had saw her once, rose tucked in her magnificent chocolate-colored hair, eyes brimming with the sun in her eyes, creamy complexion, and wonderfully smooth long legs. He had gotten close enough to breathe in the fragrance of her rosy perfume, to look deep into her eyes, eyes that had seen forever. Their hands had touched, and the moment seemed forever.  
  
"She's entranced our guards more than once. Even when Ryou has his Millennium Ring." Seto replied. He remembered the beautiful young girl, and when he gazed into her eyes, her look was glazed back at him, deep and meaningful. Yami had touched her, but Seto could've touched her mentally, not physically.  
  
"And you, Seto? Have you seen the woman before?" the Pharaoh asked. He was only a mere man of eighteen, like a boy king, but he was wise.  
  
"She is a mere girl, my lord. Around your age, I believe. Sixteen or seventeen, and," Seto looked pointedly at Yami, "a virgin."  
  
"How is that? There are many thugs around Egypt that I've tried to stop that would rape a girl at once."  
  
"She's fierce, Pharaoh. Fierce, slick, and smooth. She can mesmerize a man with her beauty, and if she had no beauty, with her fists.and she has magic. She possesses magic. A Millennium Item, if I am not mistaken. You have your Puzzle, me my Ring, and others possess the Millennium Key, Rod, Tauk, Scale, so on and so forth." Ryou explained.  
  
"She has become a problem?" Yami couldn't see why a mere girl of sixteen or seventeen would rob so many people and get jailed purposely and escape the very same day."  
  
"Rumors from the peasants say that the peasants are in glory. The Desert Rose steals from the rich and gives to the poor (I know, like Robin Hood). Our wealthier class is getting quite angry, I must say." Seto added.  
  
"Well, find her, and when you find her, you must bring her immediately to me. She's still stealing, whether it's for good or bad. Bring her unharmed, and anybody else that accompanies her. I'll teach her a lesson." Yami was ruthless. He knew the balance was poor with the rich and the poor, but stealing was stealing. "Catch her for me." Yami's eyes blazed.  
  
A/N: What'd you think? Good? Bad? Please R+R! 


	2. Captured!

A/N: Yay! Chapter Two is up! Sorry it took so long. I had a billion projects!  
  
CHAPTER TWO CAPTURED!  
  
Anzu and Isis giggled along as they headed for a local bystander selling fruits and vegetables. They caught the eyes of many young men, Isis with her exotic eyes and thick black hair, and Anzu with her grace and beauty. Anzu bought a loaf of bread, three hunks of cheese, a few apples, a few fish, and meat with two gold coins. Isis smiled. Whenever Anzu and Isis visited, they would eat and style, and the vendors always let Anzu slip away with a few extra apples or so.  
  
Anzu and Isis decided to stop for a drink at a local shop. They were chatting, Anzu about life in the desert and how Crystal (her horse) had grown her mane and coat so smooth and shiny without even a grooming brush.  
  
Isis told her about Jou Katsuya and Honda Hiroto. "Jou's blond and cute, and has a very funny manner. Honda is so tall! He's brown-haired and brown-eyed and a hunk."  
  
"Where'd you meet them?" Anzu asked nervously. Her best friend was Isis. Nobody else, and she didn't have any other friends except nature, Crystal, Egypt, the animals, and the other human friend, Malik. She was scared Jou and Honda would find out about her secret.  
  
"They're harmless. Look, there they are now!" Isis waved over to two cute boys about eighteen-years-old. Anzu smiled weakly. Obviously Isis had forgotten about Desert Rose.  
  
Over to Jou and Honda  
  
"Hey, Honda, who's the babe Isis is with?" Jou glanced at the astoundingly gorgeous girl sitting across from Isis.  
  
"Dunno. Never seen her around before." Honda smiled at Isis. She was so beautiful, and he was unaware of the even more beautiful girl sitting across from her.  
  
Just then, Isis waved to them to come over. Jou and Honda nodded, and walked calmly up to the pair.  
  
Back to Anzu and Isis  
  
Jou and Honda came over. "Hey, Isis." Jou had a big, puppy-like face, and a huge smile.  
  
"Hi." Honda held a hand up shyly.  
  
"Hey, guys! This is Anzu. Anzu Mazaki. She's my best friend." Isis grinned. Anzu smiled weakly, revealing a few pearly white teeth.  
  
"Hi!" Jou's eyes lit up, revealing a bigger glint of mischievous fun in his eyes.  
  
"Hello." Anzu kept her tone as icy as she could, even though she let out a hint of glimmer in her eyes.  
  
Jou took a good look at the girl. He had seen her before. Somewhere. She looked vaguely like Desert Rose. Desert Rose had once kindly given Honda and him twenty gold coins. "Hey.you look like Desert Rose!" He boldly grinned.  
  
"Jou.shut up. If anybody here is a spy for catching Desert Rose, Anzu might be arrested, even though she isn't Desert Rose, and Jou, you might be taken away for further questioning!" Isis knocked Jou over. A couple of the Pharaoh's guards saw the pretty raven-black-haired girl shove the boy.  
  
"Man disturbing you, young lady?" One asked. They were all drunk. They other four caught sight of Anzu.  
  
"Wanna dance with me?" One asked drunkenly.  
  
"Not a chance." Anzu curled her fist into a ball under the table. "Get lost."  
  
"Hey.young lady.I am a high officer.you better dance with me.or else." The man lost his coordination, and pulled Anzu into his tight hug.  
  
"Get off of my you stupid numb-sucking brainless stinky-breath drunken stupid bimbohead! (A/N: hehe)" As the man pulled her into an ancient Egyptian waltz and tried to kiss her, Anzu punched him smack in the nose, used surprising strength to flip him over her head, and left him groaning with kicks and punches. "You don't know who you're dealing with, you imbecile."  
  
"A pretty lady?" Another guard advanced, regardless of injured guard on the wooden floor. They were all drunk, and messed up to their heads. Anzu let him pull her close and get close to her before smashing him with her glass of lemonade and ramming him outside to the sand. Another guard came behind her. She just absentmindedly flipped him over and he fell in a heap next to the other guard.  
  
"Anzu, stop it!" Isis whispered. "Don't pull the rose, or they'll know who you are!" Jou heard this little bit.  
  
'By Ra, it's Desert Rose! I knew it was her!' Jou wanted to spit it out, but he knew he couldn't, because he'd never see Anzu again.  
  
"You're under arrest, young lady." The leader announced drowsily.  
  
"For what? Defending myself?" Anzu smirked.  
  
"For stirring up trouble for me." The leader replied, dazed.  
  
Anzu smiled. She could have a little fun. She thrust herself in front of the guard. "Then tie me up." She moved her hands forward in a motion to surrender.  
  
Isis's eyes widened. Anzu was actually letting herself be caught. "No, Anzu!"  
  
"Sorry, Isis. This nice guard will take me to prison where I belong." She winked at Isis, and whimpered a puppy face at the guard.  
  
Anzu and the guards rode to the palace, and he offered her a drink. She refused. She knew the glass had memory-loss powder in it. A guard knocked her unconscious. Actually, fifty of them did. It was quite a commotion. They poured the drink down her throat, and Anzu forgot about Desert Rose.  
  
* * *  
  
What do you think? Who should Anzu be paired up with? Seto or Yami? And for Isis, Bakura or Honda? I'm thinking about introducing Miho for Honda! R+R please!  
  
Reviews:  
  
THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!! 


	3. The Palace

CHAPTER THREE THE PALACE  
  
Yay! Another chapter up! Please R+R and keep on voting for the pairings! Last time we left off with Anzu being drugged by memory loss pills.  
  
* * *  
  
Anzu was drugged desperately and she awoke to be found in a bed of gold and silk. "Where am I? What happened?"  
  
"You tell me." A deep male voice came up. She turned to find a handsome brown-haired sapphire-eyed man strutting by the window. His chocolate-brown hair, about the color of hers, hung down over his eyes, and his sapphire blue eyes cast a look at her. When Anzu found herself only dressed in a cotton nightgown, her regular clothes not on. She wrapped the blanket around herself for more warmth.  
  
Seto smiled at the young girl. She was supposedly tough, but how could a sweet and innocent girl like her be crouching up instead of trying to seduce him like she did to the guards? "What do you mean? I'm Anzu." The girl managed to say.  
  
Seto spread his smile even bigger at the blue-eyed beauty. "Seto Kaiba, personal advisor and High Priest to the Pharaoh of Egypt."  
  
"The Pharaoh?" She asked dazedly.  
  
"Yes. The Pharaoh. Tilla, give this girl a bath and some proper clothes." Seto looked at her sudden state. Anzu blushed again, and Tilla led her to a sparkling pool of spring mineral water with bubbles and fragrances inside of it.  
  
Seto left, and she dropped the sheet to the floor, exasperated, wondering whom she was. She stepped into the bath and scrubbed herself clean while Tilla brought heated towels. Anzu savored the sweet rose scent of the bath. She had vaguely remembered seeing Seto before, somewhere, off in the far distance.  
  
* * *  
  
Memory Flashback  
  
Anzu backed against the wall, frightened at the sight of her drunk and angry father. "You're twenty-seven-years-old, Amy (I have no clue what Anzu's mother's name is, totally made up). That's enough!"  
  
"Dad? What are you talking about? I'm twelve."  
  
"Don't 'Dad' me, Amy, I'm your freaking husband!"  
  
"Dad? What's wrong with you?" Anzu clutched the hem of her nightgown nervously. Her father towered at 6"2, and she remembered her mother being average, but petite compared to her father at 5"5.  
  
Her father didn't respond, but he struck out at her, lashing furiously. He narrowly missed Anzu the first time, but got her across the arm and cheek the second time, and then he collapsed in exhaustion. "Don't.touch.me.Amy." He whispered, and fainted, collapsing on the bed.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Back to Present  
  
Anzu shook all thoughts out of her head. It couldn't be.Her father abused her? She felt herself taking the heated towel and drying herself. She slipped into a lavender silk dress, and thanked Tilla.  
  
Tilla led her to the throne room, where Anzu awkwardly stepped on a royal red carpet lined with the best stitching of gold and pink. She saw Seto there, and he gave her an encouraging smile. She saw two other men, one with white hair and an innocent look on his face and the other sitting on a golden throne, looking serious, with spiky multi-colored hair. His violet eyes flared. He was handsome, and had a sense of dignity to him.  
  
She walked up and curtsied gracefully to the Pharaoh. He motioned for her to come forward. Yami observed her habits. She was a chocolate-haired beauty. He tipped her chin up, and time clashed.  
  
* * *  
  
Flashback  
  
The Desert Rose sat high up on her gallantly beautiful white steed. Seto and Yami had been traveling the city. She had the red rose tucked in her hair, and a white rose on a finger. Yami reached out to touch her, their eyes meeting with a clash.  
  
The girl pulled her hand away almost immediately as there hands touched. Yami felt Seto gazing into the girl's eyes. Yami sniffed in her rose perfume, the scent of her rosy hair, and then she galloped away, not saying a word.  
  
* * *  
  
Back to Present  
  
Yami, Seto, and Anzu both remembered that piece of memory. She quickly withdrew her hand, face flushed. "Tell me your name." Yami commanded gently.  
  
"Anzu Mazaki." A strange look crossed Yami, and she glanced helplessly at Seto. Seto just nodded, sending a telegram in his eyes to cooperate.  
  
"I am Yami. I suppose you have already met Seto Kaiba. And this is Ryou Bakura." Yami motioned his hand toward the white-haired boy.  
  
Anzu silenced herself, and there was an awkward silence. Ryou broke the silence. "Anzu.the guards say you were throwing punches at them..."  
  
"Guards?" She asked meekly. She looked down at her thin arms and elegant body. "I can toss people around?" She asked, wiggling her fingers.  
  
The three looked at each other. She seemed absolutely clueless of what the drunken guards had told them. "At the local supermarket shop." Seto spoke up gently, looking at the withdrawn and frightened girl.  
  
"The girl's nuts, I tell you." Ryou whispered.  
  
A thought came across Yami's face. "Perhaps, if we could show Anzu around, she'd remember her past. Seto and I can switch, since you, Ryou, said you had trading to be done in the market, I hear."  
  
"Yes." Ryou replied, hiding his thought about the mysterious raven- haired beauty he had met in the marketplace.  
  
"Seto, you can show her around and I'll clear out the plans so that I can accompany her further in later situations." Yami left, and Seto nodded. Yami called back once more. "Have Lady Mai accompany you - she'll be of help, she's a female." Seto frowned, thinking of the outgoing, gorgeous, flirtatious female that haughtily didn't want friends next to a bubbly, beautiful girl that didn't know of fighting - she'd get jealous, and Anzu would be clueless. Nevertheless, he summoned Lady Mai.  
  
* * *  
  
Isis, Malik, Jou, and Honda  
  
"Where is Anzu? She usually escapes by now!" Isis cried out in frustration.  
  
Jou was still thinking about Anzu and Desert Rose, being the same person. "Can't believe she's Desert Rose." He shook his head.  
  
"Shut up, Jou. Can't you be good like Honda? I'm worried about Anzu." Isis bonked Jou on the head.  
  
"What're you talking about?" Honda cut in. "Desert Rose was able to resist anything - even an army of thirty guards."  
  
"What if there were more than thirty?" Malik was pacing, and everybody stopped at that.  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: Cliffie! Sorry to leave you hanging! I'm probably going to update late next time because I'm going to Florida for vacation * yay! * I'll try and put it on next time, and the pairings will be Anzu/Yami and keep on voting for Isis! Just a little hint: I'm going to have romance blossom between Anzu/Yami and Anzu/Seto, but Anzu will end up with Yami in the end. If you don't want Anzu/Yami, keep on voting!!! There's only been one Anzu/Seto vote and a lot of Anzu/Yami votes!  
  
C'ya! 


	4. Fun!

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long twelve-day wait! I was in Orlando, Florida, and then Atlanta, Georgia to stay with some friends and no I'm finally back home with my computer! Happy New Year everybody! Chappie Four is up, and in this chapter, Jou finally meets Mai! Enjoy!  
  
* * *  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
  
GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER  
  
"You mean I have to teach a numbskull the ways of the palace to regain her stupid memory?" Mai asked, checking her perfectly painted violet nails.  
  
"Mai, be quiet. Anzu, by a few guards, was told to be seducing them, playing innocent with evil schemes, being able to knock them down and hurt them, but she seems so bubbly and innocent now. It might be memory loss. We need you to recover that, have her take us as friends, so that she can reveal the truth to us." Seto scolded.  
  
"Kaiba, be careful." Mai looked up with deep purple eyes.  
  
"Why?" Seto asked. Mai had always treated him as a friend, a caring friend, but he knew she liked blondes. She liked handsome blondes with a sense of humor.  
  
"You sound like you have a thing for this girl. Be careful. If she's as "wonderful," Mai rolled her eyes, "as you say she is, then the Pharaoh will be looking for her as well."  
  
"I do not." Seto protested.  
  
"Kaiba?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Shuttup and listen to me." Mai laughed, and headed towards the city, disguised in a gray cloak.  
  
~Isis, Malik, Jou, and Honda in the City~  
  
"I'm thirsty." Jou complained. "And hungry." He nodded his head vigorously.  
  
Isis let out a cry of stress. "You're always hungry and thirsty, Jounouchi Katsuya! But, for Anzu, here are five coins from Anzu." Isis handed it to Jou, and he headed by himself towards a shop.  
  
Jou headed by himself towards the shop, and when he entered, he caught sight of the loveliest girl he had ever seen besides Anzu herself. She was blonde-haired and violet-eyed. Her long lashes fluttered, her golden hair standing out next to her dull gray cloak.  
  
She was having a drink, but was also talking to the bartender. "I have a drink to sell to you. From the Pharaoh. You can make tons of gold and rubies from it." Jou distracted the bartender by first ordering food and drink. Mai caught sight of Jou. He was blond, meeting her standards, but was he funny? She decided to check him out. "I promise you it. Here.take a drink, on me." Mai gave Jou a drink.  
  
Jou was startled by the young blonde beauty, but did as he was told. He glanced at the fizzy brown-black mixture with bubbles in it (A/N: It's Coke!). "Fizzy.pleasant.. and sugary. It's so bubbly." Mai grinned evilly. In a few minutes, he'd be bouncing off the walls.  
  
"Now for my experiment." Mai walked around to the bar, and took the drink from Jou. Jou watched carefully, furrowing his brows. Mai smirked back devilishly. She then added a mixture of light yellow food coloring, salt and pepper, vinegar, and cream to the drink. "Try this."  
  
"Is that nontoxic?" Jou asked, slightly puzzled.  
  
Mai leaned forward. "Of course it's edible. Drink it." She pushed the glass towards him.  
  
The bartender leaned in as well, and Mai pulled away. Jou took a deep swig of the mixture, and as quickly as it entered his mouth, he shot the drink back out - oh yes, right on the bartender's face. The bartender growled, pawing the drink off his face, the pepper stinging his eyes. Jou didn't gasp or do anything; he just blew up in laughter. He rolled onto the floor with Mai, both laughing their heads out.  
  
The bartender kicked the two out. "Ow!" Mai had landed on top of Jou, and Jou groaned.  
  
"OW!" He yelped, and Mai looked down to see herself on Jou.  
  
She blushed. "Sorry."  
  
Jou ignored it. "I want my money back!" He yelled, waving his arms vigorously.  
  
"My name is Mai Valentine." Mai's voice was low, and almost a deep growl, and Jou turned to look at her. She was indeed very pretty, but he wanted someone just as crazy and funny as himself.  
  
"Jou," He gave her a silly peace sign.  
  
"Where are you from?" She asked, standing up and straightening her violet skirt under her dusty gray cloak. She flung the cloak off because it was sandy and dusty.  
  
"Back there." Jou nodded his head towards two secluded cottages together - Isis and Malik, Honda and himself. "What about you?" He asked.  
  
Mai blushed a bit. After all, even though she felt really attracted to him, he was a lowly commoner.and she was, well, Lady Mai Valentine. She couldn't be Mai Valentine. The 'Lady' haunted her wherever she went.  
  
"Someplace you wouldn't know of." She lied swiftly.  
  
"Oh." Jou didn't mind. People all over Egypt were soft and mysterious. "Want to go and sneak into the palace and put skunk scent in the fountain?" Jou asked brightly, waving a bottle of potion.  
  
Mai took a glance at him, but recovered quickly. "Sure! Just let me put my cloak back on."  
  
"Good idea. Since we're both blondes, it'll be easier for us to disguise ourselves." Jou tossed Mai a sandy-colored cloak. "Let's go." He whispered.  
  
~Anzu and Seto~  
  
"Hi, Anzu." Anzu looked up to see Seto Kaiba. She saw his deep sapphire eyes and his chocolate-colored hair hanging down over his eyes.  
  
"Hi, Seto." She replied cheerfully, holding a pink blossom between her hands. "I've made arrangements for us to go down to a really beautiful part of Egypt that is warm and sandy by the ocean, not the Nile. Yami and Ryou will accompany us."  
  
"Okay." Anzu replied, as a butterfly flew onto her outstretched finger.  
  
~Jou and Mai~  
  
"Shush!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your freaking purple boots are making too much noise!" Jou hissed. He usually was able to play pranks swiftly and quickly, even with Isis, but Mai's heavy boots made clunky noises.  
  
"Sorry." Mai shuddered.  
  
"Take your boots off." Jou demanded.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Take 'em off. It'll be a lot easier." Jou replied.  
  
"Excuse me, but those boots cost at least fifty gold coins -" Jou yanking a boot off cut off Mai.  
  
"We'll get it back on the way out." He proposed, his face only inches away from Mai's.  
  
Mai, stunned, since no one had ever treated her that way, snapped back casually, "Fine."  
  
Jou pulled away, and took her hand, leading her through the branches that guarded the stone castle walls. They snuck into the castle walls, and Jou and Mai reached the fountain, where the dumped the liquid in and quickly ran away.  
  
"I had fun today." Mai giggled. "I have to go now. 'Bye." Mai left in her own direction, but Jou followed her, grabbing Isis and Honda along.  
  
"Who is she?" Isis hissed.  
  
"A fabulous, gorgeous girl." Jou replied, stopping for a second and sighing dreamily.  
  
"Shut up, Jounouchi Katsuya! Why did you drag us along?" Isis bonked Jou's head.  
  
"To meet Mai." Jou answered sheepishly. They followed Mai, making sure to stay at least 15 feet away from her.  
  
They followed her to where eventually led to the palace, where she removed her cloak and a guard said, "Lady Mai," bowed, kneeled, and let her in.  
  
'Lady Mai!' Jou thought, shocked, they snuck in while the guard was still kneeling.  
  
"You're friends with a lady, Jou? Since when?" Isis asked, struck.  
  
"Since now." Jou replied. "I was friends with a Mai, not a Lady."  
  
"Let's go check her out." Honda suggested.  
  
"Okay." Jou and Isis agreed in unison.  
  
~Anzu, Seto, Yami, and Ryou~  
  
"It's beautiful!" Anzu cried, looking at the orange-red glow of the sun as it set below the valley. "How'd you find such a place?"  
  
"While taking a break from the war." Yami replied stiffly. He still didn't trust the girl. Who knew who she was? Nobody did, and that was the problem.  
  
"Take this." Anzu told Yami. He looked at her, and Seto stiffened. Nobody told the Pharaoh what to do. Yami took the thick rope from her, grasping it firmly. Anzu, kicking off the heels that Tilla had prepared her with, climbed up onto a tree, which the other three boys gasped at - no girl they knew climbed trees - and took one of the knot to tie around a tree branch.  
  
"What are you doing?" Ryou demanded.  
  
"Having fun." Anzu spat back. She then warned the three to change into wetsuits (Author's Notes: Do they have swimsuits in Egypt?).  
  
The four parted. Anzu put on a slick bodysuit outlining her figure and the boys stared on. "What's next?" Yami asked.  
  
"You take the rope and swing." Anzu demonstrated by grabbing the rope, leaping onto it, and twirling into the water hole. She got two high priests and the Pharaoh of Egypt soaking wet. Their shirts got wet, revealing the muscles and chests on the wet white shirts (Author's Notes: * fainting *).  
  
Anzu stifled a giggle in the water. "What are you laughing at?" Seto demanded, running a hand through his wet brown hair.  
  
Yami sent a glare at Anzu, tore off his shirt, and jumped into the water to attack Anzu. Seto and Ryou soon followed.  
  
~Jou, Honda, and Isis~  
  
"I swear to Ra that if this isn't worth it, I'm beating you up, Jounouchi Katsuya." Isis grunted, as she crawled through the dirty ground filled with rats and grit.  
  
"Stop complaining, will you, Isis? I need to get the dirt on Mai." They followed Mai through the corridors of the castle until they reached her dressing room.  
  
"Hmm.a letter from the Pharaoh, Seto, and Ryou." Mai fingered the neatly written letter on her vanity table. Isis gasped at the mention of "Ryou."  
  
"Shuttup, Isis!" Jou shushed her.  
  
"We have left for the water hole in Tekamah with Anzu. She still has not regained her memory. See you there in a few hours. Signed, the Pharaoh and His Priests." Mai read out loud.  
  
"Memory loss! Water hole?" Isis lunged forward, causing Mai to see Jou, Honda, and Isis.  
  
"Jou! What're you doing here? Do you realize that you could be executed for being here?" Mai then took a glance at Isis and Honda. "And they are."  
  
"Isis and Honda. My very good friends. Honda, my best friend, and Isis. We've been friends just about forever."  
  
"That's wonderful." Mai replied, irritated that the spotlight wasn't on her. "Anyways, I have to go and meet up with some silly girl that lost her memory."  
  
"Can we come?" Honda asked meekly.  
  
"What will I tell the Pharaoh and his two high priests?" Mai asked, flipping her long hair.  
  
"I'm Lord Katsuya, and that Honda is my cousin and Isis his wife." Jou suggested brightly.  
  
"Lie to the Pharaoh? Are you crazy?"  
  
"Maybe." Jou responded, shrugging.  
  
"It's worth a shot. Besides, it'll be fun testing out your acting skills, Lord Katsuya." Mai curtsied.  
  
"Wait a second.I refuse to be Honda's wife." Isis cried out. "Honda's my friend.not my husband."  
  
"You'll be his sister then." Mai arranged, and then they left for the water hole of Tekamah.  
  
* * *  
  
Author's Notes: The boys are horsing around with Anzu, Jou has met Mai and they have learned that Anzu has lost her memory - sheesh! A lot for one chappie! Here are the standings for the votes:  
  
Anzu/Yami: 22 Anzu/Seto: 7 Isis/Honda: 1 Isis/Ryou: 2  
  
You can still vote until the later chappies, since the tug-o-war between Anzu for Yami and Seto isn't decided till the very end, because even I don't know who she's going to end up with, YOU decide. But for Isis, I'm going to introduce Miho now and have an Isis/Ryou pairing. R+R please, and thanks for all the great reviews! 


	5. Campfire

CHAPTER FIVE  
  
CAMPFIRE  
  
~Anzu, Seto, Ryou, and Yami at Tekamah~  
  
"Eek! Stop it! Stop it!" Then Anzu felt something glow at her throat. It was a gold necklace, embedded with fancy scriptures and the eye of Horus.  
  
Yami, who was busy looking for Mai to show up and show Anzu some proper manners, immediately turned around. Anzu had a strange aura glowing at her neck. It was a shimmering red and pink. Yami waded to her. Could it be possible? Did Anzu possess a Millennium Item? "Anzu?" He asked cautiously. The girl paid no heed to him. She seemed just as taken aback by the glowing as he did.  
  
Seto and Ryou turned to glance at Anzu as well. 'So, the girl has a Millennium Item. The easiest way to get the Puzzle is to take her item, because the Pharaoh will fall through the girl. I have the Millennium Ring and the Millennium Eye, why not add a third, giving me access to a fourth as well.' Bakura thought evilly. 'Bakura, stop it! Stop it! No!' Ryou battled with himself inside his head.  
  
Then they heard Mai's voice, a rich timbre. Anzu's necklace stopped glowing, and disappeared beneath her wetsuit. Yami, Seto, and Ryou turned. Mai looked in disgust at Anzu. 'Oh my holy goodness. I have to teach this poor thing how to act like a lady? She's in her freakin' wetsuit with the Pharaoh, and Seto, I had tried to warn him, and Ryou! No lady goes to a waterhole and actually dives in!' Mai had already had made up a long list of things to do - Hair, manicure, manners, walking, eating, curtsying, dancing.  
  
Anzu rose from the water, the suit clinging to her every curve. She turned to glance at the elegant lady before her. "I'm Anzu Mazaki." Anzu smiled brightly, offering a wet hand.  
  
"Mai," the other girl replied coolly. She didn't take the wet hand, so Anzu stepped out of the water hole, dripping wet and looking sexy.  
  
"Excuse me. I'll go change." Anzu was embarrassed. There were two other boys behind Mai and a girl with raven-black hair.  
  
"You can stay." Yami called. Seto almost cursed. He was going to tell Anzu to stay, but if Yami disagreed, he'd be in huge trouble.  
  
"Okay," Anzu's strawberry/cherry-red lips curved up in a smile, and she, slowly descended down to the water.  
  
"Mai is here to teach you manners. She is a well-respected lady in our court." Seto explained.  
  
"That's great! When do I start?" Anzu asked.  
  
"Right this moment, young lady." Mai looked down at the younger girl. "Get up." She wrapped a towel around the young girl. "We'll be back in a few hours for dinner."  
  
"What are you doing?" Anzu asked, confused. Isis followed, but Jou and Honda stayed behind to talk with Yami, Seto, and Ryou. "Hello," she smiled, noticing Isis. "I'm Anzu."  
  
"I'm Isis. Don't you remember me, Isis?" She tried to say without sounding too obvious.  
  
"No, but hello Isis." Anzu and Isis talked, Isis trying to get Anzu to remember, but it didn't work. Mai undressed the girl and bathed her like a maid, but she had to prove to Yami she could do her job correctly.  
  
Mai used her fingernails and raked through Anzu's hair with rose soap bubbles and fragrances, using rose-smelling shampoo and lavender conditioner, and her hair was finished. Anzu scrubbed her own body throughout and through with the supervision of Mai.  
  
She was dressed and dried and pampered with rose-smelling lotion, the finest of all lotions, and dressed in a long silk dress. The dress was beautiful. It was pure red, long and with no straps. The dress wrapped tightly around her body, around her perfect curves and tiny waist, and deeply accented the blue in her eyes and her brunette hair.  
  
Her hair was combed and dried and beautifully done by the perfectionist Mai, her nails trimmed and cut and manicured, and her feet in beautiful red heels. She nearly tripped on them, her blue eyes astonished. Her lips had rouge on them, and her hair was tucked back with a huge red rose. Her gold necklace was hidden somewhere beneath her skin, because it disappeared suddenly, and a diamond necklace was placed on her throat.  
  
"You are finished." Mai smiled proudly at her work of art, and then dashed off to change into a violet dress. Isis followed her, and Mai helped her get into a black dress the color of her hair. A gold circlet was placed on her head, and her exotic eyes looked beautiful, aimed for Ryou, and now that she thought of it, Honda. Honda was kind of cute, after all. Mai looked beautiful in a violet dress with her well-bred gracefulness that she had been perfecting for years.  
  
The boys had changed - Yami into his handsome flourishing suit, but today, he dressed all the others like himself - he was just a young man that night, not a Pharaoh. They waited for the girl, who came descending one by one, first Mai, whom Jou took, then Isis, who took Ryou and Honda's breath away, and Yami and Seto awaited eagerly for Anzu, who came dazzling down the stairs, floating down as if on a cloud. And they both remembered Desert Rose once more, but shook it out of their heads in denial.  
  
Anzu smiled as her two hands were taking by a handsome priest on her left and an astounding Pharaoh on the other side. "Mai really can fix people up." She murmured through her smile. "She's also managed to fix Isis up. Although she keeps asking if I remember her. Strange." Anzu shook her head, and they were led to a grand table.  
  
There was fried chicken, roasted pheasant, turkey, steak, sausages, potatoes (mashed, boiled, baked), grapes, salads (green, fruit), oranges, fruits, soups (chicken, turtle), and puddings. They said thanks for the sacrifice for the animals and for the food they had and their blessings. Then the eight feasted, and Jou and Honda pigged out, even knowing that Isis and Mai were watching them. Anzu had a strange, shy smile about her, and she kept casting shy and sly glances at Seto and Yami. She kept up her façade until she got incredibly tired of it.  
  
"Seto, can I talk to you for two seconds?" She asked, afraid and too timid to ask Yami.  
  
"Sure, if it's okay with Yami." Seto glanced at Yami, who nodded. Anzu and Seto left.  
  
"Seto, I hate this. I'm not a very graceful person and I want to have some fun!"  
  
"Not graceful? I knew you were shy, but a liar, Anzu Mazaki? You have natural grace, not like Mai's bred grace. And as for the fun part, Yami's never let anyone shake him up and let go loose. What makes you think you could succeed, Anzu?" Seto asked.  
  
"I don't know, but Yami seems trapped. I'm going to help him." Anzu replied.  
  
"By what?"  
  
"I'll think of something." Anzu hurried off, Seto returned to the table, and Anzu hurried off in search of something.  
  
When Anzu came back, she had a bunch of wet and washed sticks, an armful of firewood, and hot dogs and marshmallows. She also came with a change of clothes for everybody, and she herself was already in a light blue shirt and a royal blue short skirt.  
  
"Anzu, what are you doing?" Isis asked, freaked out.  
  
"Having fun." She tossed a pair of clothes to everybody - a shirt and a skirt for Isis and Mai, and pants and a shirt for Ryou, Yami, Jou, and Honda. "Put these on while I set up the campfire." Anzu carefully started a burning fire with the logs and put a hot dog in each stick.  
  
Yami, who was the first to change, watched her in amusement. "Campfire?" He asked.  
  
"Yes.a campfire. Here.let me show you." Anzu gave Yami a stick, and held her own stick over the fire.  
  
"Like this?" Yami asked.  
  
"No, that's too close. Your hot dog will scorch. No, wait, no -" Anzu toppled over accidentally and landed on Yami's chest, and their lips met (Author's Note: Very romantic!). She looked deep into his amethyst eyes and he brushed his lips against hers. She kissed him back, but as she heard rustling, she leapt up and brushed herself off, leaving Yami with a last glance. She showed the others how to roast their hot dogs, and the night was filled with chatter and talk.  
  
"Time for games!" Mai smiled.  
  
"What kind of games?" Isis asked the dangerous Mai timidly.  
  
"The traditional games they have in modern Egypt now, of course, Isis, my dear." Mai smiled. "Four to a team. Okay, Jou, Isis, Honda, and me, and Ryou, Anzu, Seto, and Yami for the teams. We'll just do one game today. We have to pass these balls to the person behind us without using our hands. Then the last person crawls to the front, and starts the process over until the person who was first ends up first again. Got it? Okay.line up."  
  
Ryou started, desperately balancing the small blue ball on his foot, and tossing it onto his head, rolling it to Yami. They repeated the process, and it was close. Seto was tossing the ball to Ryou and Mai to Jou, and Jou scrambled to the front with the ball between his teeth like a dog and they won. "Yes!" Jou jumped up. "You look very much like a puppy." Seto remarked.  
  
"Hey, shuttup, you weird high priest! I don't care if you're the Pharaoh like Yami! I am not a puppy dog!"  
  
"Puppy dog, puppy dog." Seto taunted.  
  
"Let's go to sleep. Maybe they'll realize everyone's asleep and stop their bickering." Isis suggested.  
  
"Yeah." Mai yawned, and they went into separate tents.  
  
~Anzu's Dream~  
  
"Jason (Author's Note: That came way out of the blue for Anzu's father), Jason, wake up!" A six-year-old Anzu watched her mother trying to wake her father up. Then her mother stepped back at the sight before her. Another woman lay with Jason. "Anzu, get out." She whispered hoarsely. Anzu left, be let a small crack in the door reveal her mother's angry shouting.  
  
Her startled father gasped, and looked from the woman to her mother. "Amy.I can explain."  
  
"How could you do this to me? More importantly, Anzu! She'll be traumatized forever!" Amy exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.  
  
The younger, blond-haired woman lying next to Jason awoke. "Ugh.Jason, what happened.who is this?"  
  
"My.my.sister's aunt's daughter's friend." Jason covered.  
  
Smoke billowed out of Amy's ears, as well as Anzu's. Her daddy was bad, and even at six, she knew the difference between right and wrong. Anzu stormed in, her big blue eyes steaming with rage. "Daddy! You know perfectly well that that's Mommy! You're a big fat cheater and Mommy and I are leaving NOW!" Anzu climbed onto the bed and slapped her father twice while he stared on, amazed, and then said to the blond woman, "Sorry that you didn't know that my daddy was married, but he is! And he's stupid, cause my mommy's a great person!" She then slapped her father again, took her mother's hand, and trotted out.  
  
~End Anzu's Dream~  
  
Anzu awoke, startled, sweat pouring off her face. "Mom.Dad." She whispered, and she got up, sweaty from the warm Egyptian night, standing in a white T-shirt and blue shorts.  
  
"Why are you awake, Anzu?" Seto was already standing by the burned out campfire.  
  
"I couldn't sleep.I had a bad dream.about my parents." Anzu buried her face into her hands and stretched.  
  
"Really? I dream about my parents too. Gozaburo." Seto thought, and turned away. "Parents can really -"  
  
"Drive you crazy?" Anzu asked, her light blue eyes staring into Seto's.  
  
"Yeah." Seto laughed. "Would you like to dance?"  
  
"Dance?" Anzu smiled. "I love to dance, but I don't know."  
  
"Come on, Anzu." Seto bowed, giving Anzu giggles.  
  
"Okay." She took his outstretched arm.  
  
* * *  
  
Author's Notes: Thanks for all the reviews! 70 reviews!!! So anyways, to sum up the chapter, Mai cleans Anzu up, Ryou sees Isis, Anzu kisses Yami, and she has yet another dream about her past. And now, she's going to dance with Seto! Next chappie has some Seto/Anzu, and I'll have a triangle between Seto/Anzu/Yami ending with Anzu/Yami in the end, and I'm going to introduce Miho in the next chappie and a little pet. Thanks to sm-candy for the triangle idea, and to Y Sunfire and sm-candy for info on Egyptian animals. R+R! 


	6. Saluki

CHAPTER SIX DANCING UNDER THE STARS  
  
* * * Thanks again to Y Sunfire and sm-candy for their info on Egyptian animals. And thank you to an anonymous reviewer for telling me about my historical info. I'm not exactly up-to-date with everything Ancient Egypt was about, but I'm kind of just exaggerating a bit about this whole ficcy. I think for my next fic I'm going to try Romance/Humor instead. This chappie is really short because I'm planning to leave you on a cliffhanger * grins evilly * Anyways, R+R and enjoy!  
  
Seto put his arms around Anzu's waist and she put her arms around his shoulders. "I love ballet. I remember vaguely of my kind mother giving me ballet lessons, and I perform for her friends, and they'd clap for me. Perhaps it was actually my father that angered me, because my mother died shortly after of leukemia and my father managed me. My father was never a kind man - he liked lying and deception. It was strange though, how the two of my parents seemed so in love when I was a little girl. I guess, the lies just flew past me." "It's funny how that when you're little, the lies just fly by." Seto understood how Anzu felt. "Yeah." Absentmindedly, Anzu put her head on Seto's shoulder. "Life is so hard." After a few minutes, a cry woke Anzu out of their illusion. "What was that?" "What was what?" "That sad, whimpering noise. It sounded like a dog." Anzu rushed over to a few bushes, where she found a Saluki. "Seto, it's a Saluki (A big dog that looks like a greyhound)!" "It's so.big." Seto's eyes widened. "Oh, come on, Mr. High Priest, it's adorable!" Anzu tugged at his sleeve. "I'll take care of it.please?" Anzu rose pleading blue eyes at him. "I can't.without Yami's consent." "What're you talking about, Seto? It's always Yami this and Yami that.take a break, will you? Yami's not the center of the universe!" Anzu raged. "What about me?" Yami asked, stepping out of his tent. "Yami!" Anzu gasped. 


	7. I Remember

Author's Notes: Sorry for the shortness of the last chapter. This chappie is a bit longer. And from the title, I guess you can see that Anzu remembers! Also, this chappie has Anzu/Yami in it.  
  
* * *  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN I REMEMBER  
  
"Pharaoh, it's my fault. I woke Anzu up."  
  
"Seto, you are excused. I'd like to have a wonder with Miss Mazaki.alone." Yami smirked. Seto hurried off lowering his head, and Anzu kept close to the dog.  
  
"I'm keeping Saluki." Anzu hugged the dog protectively.  
  
"Saluki is the breed name, silly, not the name." Yami corrected.  
  
"Well, then this is Saluki the Saluki." Anzu shot back.  
  
"You are a fiery little girl, Anzu. You remind me strongly of someone with a brave spirit."  
  
"Oh.really?" Anzu blushed as Yami came closer and closer to her.  
  
"Yes." Yami smirked. Anzu leaned in as Yami lifted her chin and looked down at her. Yami kissed her lightly - a simple, chaste kiss, and Anzu kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.  
  
"Oh my gosh.I.excuse me." Anzu broke the kiss, and she ran off into the woods. She ran and ran, with Saluki barking behind her.  
  
* * * ~Anzu in the Woods~  
  
'What did I just do? That was so.unreasonable of me.and the Pharaoh.what will he think.I'm in major trouble." Anzu ran and ran, until she bumped into the hard chest of a man. Five of them surrounded her, five of whom she could've easily taken down as Desert Rose, but now she couldn't.  
  
The leader chuckled evilly, and took her firmly by the shoulders. "What's a little lady like you doing out in the middle of nowhere without an escort?"  
  
The second smiled. "We'll take you as a companion." The leader took a knife, trailing it tantalizingly down her smooth bare neck, and all Anzu could do was breathe along, as the knife made a small cut at her shoulder blade. She refused to cry out in pain, but her voice betrayed her and a whimper was let out. A man holding a bag of white powder came. Saluki barked furiously.  
  
"Here's the powder, Boss." The Boss took the powder, and as they circled her, a voice inside of her triggered, and for a split second, her memory flooded back.  
  
The mistreatment of her mother.  
  
Her drunken father.  
  
Running away.  
  
Meeting Isis and Malik.  
  
Developing fighting skills.  
  
Becoming Desert Rose.  
  
Robbing and killing and thieving.  
  
Meeting Jou and Honda.  
  
Being drugged and taken down for the first time.  
  
Meeting Seto.  
  
Meeting Yami.  
  
And everything else in between.  
  
Yami arrived just in time to see Anzu's eyes filled with cunning bravery. She lifted her knee to the man's groin, kicking hard, and as he collapsed in pain, she snatched the powder, and stole a dagger from the leader's waist.  
  
She circled her five opponents daringly, and as they charged for her, she let out a splendid battle cry and jumped, kicking two men in the face and stealing a chain. With the iron chain she lassoed up the fattest man, and smacked him into another. The two grunted, and Anzu still yet lassoed the man in and out, dizzying him, and using him as a weapon to knock the rest of the slim, trim men down.  
  
She felt herself swing the man into a tree, knocking the tree down. She positioned herself in a fighting stance. The fat man had knocked the other three out unconscious. The only one that remained was the leader, the bulkiest of them all.  
  
Unaware of the Pharaoh lurking in the shadows, her eyes blazed with fury. Easily, as he came charging towards her, she flipped backwards and threw him onto a nearby tree, where she took the knife. She drew it tantalizingly, sharpening it, drawing out every second. "Now where can I remember this scene from? Hmm." Anzu made a slight cut on her fingertip with the lightest touch of the dagger. "I wonder if I should use you as a dartboard, kill you straight at heart, or make you suffer, long and deep."  
  
Taking the dagger, she was prepared to stab him, until Yami yelled. "Anzu!"  
  
Anzu stopped, glancing at Yami, and her hand trembled, dropping the dagger. "I remember, Yami.I remember."  
  
The man took this open chance to take the dagger, and flip her over to the tree, holding the dagger to her throat. Anzu just stood there in a trance, as memories of her past came back to her.  
  
Yami let out a strangled cry as the man lifted the knife to stab her. He wrestled with the man, and Anzu, realizing that Yami was wrestling, stepped in. Yami was already sparring with the man, except the man could barely land a punch on Yami, whereas Yami was beating the guts out of him, but when one of the unconscious men started to reach for Yami, Anzu was startled, and jumped up and kicked him smack dab in the face, but it was a bit too late, because Yami had stopped to look at Anzu, and he got sliced in the arm.  
  
"Yami!" Anzu exclaimed furiously. Her sea of blue in her eyes blazed with fury. How dare this stranger hurt her friend! What kind of guts did he have, injuring a Pharaoh, or more importantly, the friend of Desert Rose! Not caring about how she'd get arrested by her friend, she pulling out a single white rose, and the pricks off of one of the stems gave the man a cut, and Anzu appeared in her full fledged costume, complete with the skirt and roses lined in her hair.  
  
Yami's eyes widened in shock, while the man's eyes widened in terror. "Yes." She smirked. "I'm Desert Rose.I remember now." Clouds covered her blue eyes, but then they cleared again. "And you hurt Yami.and now you'll pay the ultimate price.and even for your lowly pathetic soul.I'll kill you quickly."  
  
Yami, afraid for Anzu.staggered with his hand clutching his wound, and placed a hand on Anzu's shoulder. Anzu turned, and using her foot to keep grasp on the man's throat, she looked up at Yami. "I remember." She whispered.  
  
"Yes, Anzu. Please lower your knife.for me." Anzu, absentmindedly did exactly as she was told. She gently let her foot down, and the man staggered away, frightened, thanking Yami, apologizing, and stumbling away.  
  
"Get away." Anzu's eyes suddenly tore away. She had no friend. Except Isis.  
  
"Anzu.please. Don't do this."  
  
"Yami, please! I'm just going to end up hurting you! Like I hurt my mother! And someone is after you, Yami.I have foreseen it." She glowed, and her Millennium Necklace was revealed. "I don't know what to do anymore, Yami. Everyone I encounter loses something. Even from the very start of my pathetic life." Anzu sank down.  
  
"Anzu, your life isn't pathetic. You're a very special person. You are a grace, Anzu. And when time does come and tell, someone will come to claim my Millennium Puzzle. But you and I, we'll overcome that evil quickly, Anzu. Because you and I, we'll be something." Yami kissed her, and she kissed him back lightly.  
  
"Thank you, Yami. You're the only one that still believes."  
  
"What isn't there to believe?" Yami asked, and her tears broke into a smile.  
  
~Seto~  
  
"I hope that I didn't get Anzu into too much trouble. Where is that girl anyway?" Seto then noticed Jou snoring and talking in his sleep. He leaned down to listen.  
  
"Mai!" Jou flung his arms out and hugged an imaginary person. Seto smirked. He'd have to say something about it the next morning (Hey! Seto can still be mean to Jou, can't he * laughs *).  
  
~Yami Bakura POV~  
  
I see that the possessor of the Millennium Necklace has regained her memory.and now it's time to move in for the kill - my two prizes, the Necklace and the Puzzle, and both will be captured at once, in the same net." He laughed evilly.  
  
* * *  
  
Author's Notes: What did you think? I tried to make this chappie as well as I could. Anzu has remembered! And Yami Bakura has arrived, with a plan devised to get the Puzzle and the Necklace. 


	8. The Truth

Author's Notes: Chappie 8 is up! Last chapter, Anzu remembered! Finally! To clear up to my confused readers about the uniform, Anzu is like a Sailor Scout. I'm just putting into make-believe that her Millennium Necklace let's her do that, and it's my ficcy, so I'll just pretend that her Millennium Necklace allows her to do that ^_^ sorry for the confusion! Anyways, enjoy! R+R please!  
  
* * * CHAPTER EIGHT THE TRUTH  
  
Anzu drowsily woke up to see a pair of amethyst eyes. "Yami." She breathed.  
  
"Hi, Anzu," he whispered, and then in a lower voice, "Or should I say, Desert Rose."  
  
She jumped. Then the memories of the night before came to her. "How's your cut." She glanced nervously at the bloody cut on Yami's arm.  
  
"Oh, I'm fine."  
  
"You are not! Malik always got cuts before. He's Isis's brother.and he's probably still in Egypt worried to death about everybody.poor Malik." She laughed. She marched Yami to a table and placed a few medicinal herbs on his dagger cut. She then wrapped tightly a loincloth, since they didn't have any white bandages.  
  
"Ow!" Yami grimaced.  
  
"Not used to getting hurt, are you, Yami? I used to spar with anyone I could. Never let them lay a hand on me until yesterday night, and they'd end up aching and crying."  
  
"Oh really? Want to try fighting with me?" Yami smirked.  
  
"You're hurt." Anzu protested.  
  
"Because of you. I looked to see if you were okay. Just hands off my arm and I'll be fine, okay?" Yami challenged.  
  
"Fine.but I hope you don't mind losing to a girl." Anzu got into fighting stance, and their private match began. Both were lean and quick, and each dodged the other's punches. It all came down to endurance.  
  
As Anzu, who was starting to slow down, threw a punch at Yami, he flipped behind her and knocked her down face flat onto the grassy area, and then turned her back right side up to brush the dust off her face. "You're good.very good." Yami wiped some sweat off his face.  
  
Anzu got up, her face red from all the sparring. "Good job, Yami - you won."  
  
"Yeah. Do you want to tell them?" Yami asked.  
  
"Who? What?" Anzu's face was blank.  
  
"The others about Desert Rose." Yami replied.  
  
"I don't know." Her voice was bland. "Maybe.I know that I can trust Seto, Isis, Jou, and Honda.but is Mai a gossipy lady.and Ryou seems just a bit too shy."  
  
"So."  
  
"I should tell Isis.I need to confide in her.after all, she did keep the secret all these years." Anzu and Yami walked to a stream, where they splashed water all over their faces.  
  
"And the others?"  
  
"Time will tell." They started walking back to the familiar grounds of where their tents were.  
  
~At the Tents~  
  
Isis was awake. "Mai won't get up." She laughed. "She's getting her 'beauty sleep.' You two look like you need breakfast."  
  
"I need to take a bath. Yami and I found a stream down by the woods. Do you want to come?" Anzu pressed, hoping to tell her about her recovered memory.  
  
"Sure." Isis and Anzu gathered up their dirty clothes.  
  
They first scrubbed at the dirty clothes, and then washed, and as they lay in their dry clothes waiting for their hair to dry completely, Anzu spilled.  
  
"Isis.I remember."  
  
"Remember?" Isis asked blandly, and then jerked up. "Anzu.you remember me?"  
  
Anzu nodded back in response. "I remember everything, Isis." With that, Anzu gave her best friend a hug.  
  
"Does anyone else know?" Isis asked. "They might be a bit concerned.  
  
"Well, a gang I beat up last night knows, and." She struggled with the last few words.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Yami knows." She breathed out.  
  
Isis widened her eyes, and put her hands on Anzu's shoulders. "Are you crazy, Anzu Mazaki? Do you realize the peril you just put yourself in? Yami is the Pharaoh, if you haven't noticed. He'll behead you!"  
  
"No." Anzu trembled. "He wouldn't. Yami's different. Like Seto."  
  
"Are you telling anyone else?" Isis asked.  
  
"I don't know. Yami told me that time would tell. I have visions with my Millennium Necklace about the past, present, and future. Someone's out to hurt Yami." She sighed. "And he's not the least bit worried."  
  
"Maybe Yami knows something you don't." Isis suggested.  
  
"Maybe." Anzu whispered. "But it's so good to remember." Anzu smiled at Isis. "And to know that I'm here with my best friend."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
~Bakura and Yami Bakura~  
  
"Keep on playing, Anzu, for soon I will have Isis's heart, and soon I shall have Yami's Millennium Puzzle, and your Millennium Necklace! All I have to die is lure Anzu to the underground chamber at the palace.and teach her a lesson.and since Seto seems to like that young charmer as well, I should be able to give her a decision.a decision between Seto and Yami." Yami Bakura laughed.  
  
'Stop it, Bakura!' Ryou exclaimed.  
  
'Shut up, fool. I am the spirit of the Millennium Ring, and therefore, I possess you! You are nothing compared to me, mortal! And soon the heart of the raven-haired beauty shall be mine.' Yami Bakura smirked.  
  
'No! Not Isis! She's so kind.and friendly!' Ryou began to grow worried. Yami Bakura was dangerous.  
  
'Well, looks like my Hikari has a little foolish love.' Yami Bakura then jabbed Ryou in the stomach, causing him to buck down in pain.  
  
'Ugh.' Ryou collapsed. Yami Bakura smirked once more. He loved torturing Ryou (Author's Notes: Poor Ryou!!! (). He went back to his soul room to leave Ryou's body battered and unconscious. The sooner they got back to the palace, the better.  
  
~Everyone but Ryou in the Woods~  
  
"When are we returning to the palace?" Isis asked meekly.  
  
"Tomorrow at sunrise." Seto replied quietly, who was busy talking to Anzu.  
  
Jou stopped. "Sunrise? I AM NOT getting up at sunrise!"  
  
"Ah, c'mon, Jou, it's a palace." Honda grinned broadly. "Let's take that as a bright side.  
  
"Yes, Jou. Or you can be left alone here.without me." Mai gazed at Jou * Jou gets all starry-eyed *  
  
"I'll do anything for you, Mai."  
  
"She's got that puppy under her spell." Seto whispered to Anzu, which caused her to stifle a giggle.  
  
Saluki barked, his big eyes looking up at Anzu. Then he ran ahead. "Saluki! Wait! What're you doing?"  
  
Anzu and the others ran after Saluki. She screamed as she saw something lying ahead of her. The others halted, and gasped.  
  
"Oh my goodness." Isis whispered, and bent down.  
  
* * *  
  
Author's Notes: Did you like Chappie 8? Sorry for the lateness. Cliffy! I'll try and get Chappie 9 out as fast as I can, but not too soon because Midterms are coming out next week *_* eek! Anyways, R+R! 


	9. Two Choices

CHAPTER NINE TWO CHOICES  
  
Author's Notes: From now on, Ryou will be referred to as Ryou, and Yami Bakura as Bakura. Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers ^_^! Sorry I haven't updated in so long - like I said, the horrible MIDTERMS! But I got all A's on them, so hooray!  
  
Credits List: DarkWings_of_Faith for her idea from her story, 'Rose of the Desert' Sm-candy for her wonderful help  
  
Now, back to Desert Rose! Enjoy!  
  
* * *  
  
"Ryou! Wake up! Are you okay?" Silent tears fell off of Isis's cheek. All hope for Isis disappeared from Honda's face. She loved Ryou, not him.  
  
"We need to get back to the palace immediately. Ryou needs help!" Anzu exclaimed. "Seto, Yami, help me carry Ryou. Jou, Mai run back to camp and get herbs and medicines ready.  
  
"But I don't feel like running." Jou complained.  
  
"Jounouchi Katsuya, go now!" Anzu almost yelled.  
  
Frightened, Jou left with Mai. They heaved Ryou back to the tents, Isis by his side, stroking his hair, and Anzu checking for a pulse and signs of serious injuries. Honda, Seto, and Yami grunted as the carried Ryou, which was quite a hard task with Isis and Anzu looming over him.  
  
Anzu took Ryou's pulse, and listened to the faint beating of his heart. Brushing the white hair out of his face, they arrived at the camp, where Anzu acted like a doctor. They quickly packed everything up and got onto a horse-drawn carriage to hurry back to the palace. Isis placed cool cloths on Ryou's head, washing his face every so often and praying.  
  
Meanwhile, Anzu treated Ryou's wounds, which nobody knew that had been caused by his Yami. Placing leaves with scented herbs, spices, and medications on Ryou's arms, stomach, and legs, Anzu hurriedly wrapped bandages round and round Ryou's wounds. They weren't necessarily knife cuts - there was only one, but the medication would help ease the pain and help the cuts heal faster. She was hurriedly done with Ryou, and then remembered that Yami's arm needed to be rewrapped.  
  
She took the bandage off, and he winced in pain. Giving Yami a shy smile, she reapplied the medicines and rewrapped the bandages. "So.what are you, a nurse?" Seto asked, laughing.  
  
"No. Just experienced." Anzu smiled back at the tall, lean man sitting next to her.  
  
They arrived at the palace shortly after, where palace healers were summoned. They tended to Ryou, while another group tended to Yami's hurt arm.  
  
"Who put the medication on so expertly?" The Chief Healer asked.  
  
"Anzu did. Anzu Mazaki." Yami gave Anzu a smile. She blushed.  
  
"You're very lucky, my Pharaoh. You and Ryou are going to be fine. He's is beaten with bruises and cuts, but with everybody working hard, he is going to recover within just about a fortnight (two weeks)."  
  
"Thank you, Chief." The Chief Healer left. "Go to your chambers, Anzu, you must be exhausted. Seto already instructed for Tilla to leave a bath for you."  
  
"Thank you, Pharaoh." Yami was probably the only person Anzu respected.  
  
"And Anzu." Anzu turned around. "You can take the knife out of your boots. It's safe in the palace."  
  
"You never know, Pharaoh, you never know." Anzu was surprised about Yami noticing the dagger in her boots. It looked like a mere ornament. She was armed with little surprises, and she doubted anyone knew where she hid all of them.  
  
~In the Bath~  
  
Anzu giggled as she blew a few bubbles off her finger. She loved the tainted rose smell of the bath. After twenty minutes, she stepped out of the shower and dressed into a pink nightgown. She put warm slippers on her feet, while brushing her hair. She had excused Tilla for the rest of the night. She could take care of herself.  
  
'So this is me. Desert Rose, a softened person against the Pharaoh Yami. Something about him just pushes my hard mind to soften.as with Seto. Seto seems to bring such good luck, and fills me with joy.but Yami; he's dark and mysterious. He's not like Seto (Author's Notes: Funny isn't it, in the anime Seto's the cold and dark one ^_^) at all. I need to escape this place sometime.before I become weak. Weaker than I was before, with my father. Pah! Someday I will avenge my mother's death against the weakling that sought out to kill her by my father.'  
  
Anzu fell asleep after saying a quick prayer to the gods.  
  
In the middle of the night, she heard a soft flute playing in her dreams. 'Who is playing that beautiful music? It's lovely!' Almost in a monotone robot manner, Anzu got up, and walked out of her room to follow the music.  
  
Her bare feet slapped against the cold marble floor, and her blue eyes, drowsy, almost became hypnotized with the music. The blue pools stared straight ahead, until she came upon the palace gardens. A white- haired boy carrying a flute with an evil smirk on his face came up to her. She snapped out of her trance.  
  
"Ryou? What are you doing here? You should be in bed!" Anzu snapped.  
  
"But no.Anzu Mazaki.Desert Rose.I am not Ryou. You know perfectly well who I am. And now that Jason is gone.I am here." The dark eyes cast dark shadows shooting into Anzu's heart.  
  
"Father." She whispered.  
  
Bakura approached the girl, coming from behind her. He came so close that she could feel his hot breath on her neck. "My insolent little girl. So ravishing.so beautiful, and to think - pah! - she captured the heart of a certain Pharaoh and his priest." He drew a knife to calmly trace her neck; carefully making sure none of her skin got sliced.  
  
He grabbed her forcefully and pulled her tight against him. "I propose to you something, Miss Mazaki. Kill the Pharaoh.and you'll have Seto and everything will be fine. Don't kill the Pharaoh, and your High Priest will pay. I know you are experienced, Anzu. Don't fail me. You have a choice. Your beloved Pharaoh, or your beloved High Priest. I expect to see you with the body of the Pharaoh in three days. Twelve o' clock at midnight, behind the cottage grove of the palace."  
  
"No!" Anzu trembled, releasing herself from his grasp.  
  
Bakura clung tighter, firmly on her shoulder. His eyes burned. "I am Bakura. Nobody says no to me! Understood?" He shook her hard. Even Desert Rose could feel the terrible power brewing inside of him. "One last thing, Mazaki."  
  
"What?" Her voice was shaky.  
  
"I want the Puzzle.and your Millennium Necklace." Anzu's eyes grew wide at Bakura's words.  
  
"No!" She clasped a hand to the golden necklace round her throat. "My mother gave this to me!"  
  
"Too bad." Bakura snapped. "I expect to see everything in three days, Mazaki. Three days." With one last snarl, Bakura disappeared into the night.  
  
Anzu closed her eyes deeply. Bakura had great power. Power that lay within himself, not just from his Millennium Ring.  
  
She somehow slid back into her bed. 'What will I do? I care for the two deeply, but one has to pay with price of the other's life! Why? Bakura must be Ryou's Yami! This is so terrible? How did I get the Pharaoh and the Priest involved in this? I must leave, I must!'  
  
A terrible pain grew in her head. 'Run and both die.' A voice whispered. It was Bakura, clawing at her mind. Anzu bucked down in pain.  
  
'No.'  
  
* * * Author's Notes: Eek! No! Bakura has given Anzu two choices! Yami or Seto! Who will she choose, and if she runs, both die! Poor Anzu! R+R please! 


	10. Midnight Encounter

Author's Notes: I have to thank DarkWings of Faith for this chappie for her ideas. The credit goes to her for the idea of an encounter with Yami at night. Thanks DarkWings of Faith! Now, back to Desert Rose! Enjoy, and R+R please!  
  
* * *  
  
CHAPTER TEN MIDNIGHT ENCOUNTER  
  
Anzu woke up, clawing at her sheets. "No, Yami! Seto!" She tossed and turned.  
  
She sat up straight, and found Tilla preparing a hot bath in the next room. "Tilla, I can set up my own bath, thank you. You may go down and have breakfast." Anzu motioned.  
  
Tilla curtsied, but kept the water running. "The Pharaoh's orders are my commands." She whispered.  
  
Then Anzu jolted backwards, her eyes blazing red. In a flash, she was standing next to the petite maid, glaring down at her. "I said," she hissed, "you may go now!" Her voice bounced off the stone chambers. And when Anzu realized what she was doing, she shook uncontrollably. "It's Bakura." She whispered, tears streaming down her face as she edged to the wall. "I'm sorry, Tilla. You'd best leave if you don't want to get hurt by Bakura."  
  
The frightened maid looked up at the crying girl. Then she hurried out of the chamber to warn the Pharaoh.  
  
Anzu racked her head as she washed and put on a silk dress. She heard Bakura's voice.  
  
'I expect to see you with the body of the Pharaoh in three days.'  
  
Anzu shivered uncontrollably, and then opened the chamber door to find Seto strutting there. "What's wrong, Seto?" She asked.  
  
"What did you do to Tilla? She told Yami you had a demon in your body that's taking over the good you." Anzu felt the throbbing pain in her head once more. Always being a tough and driven girl, she refused to cave in to the pain.  
  
"I'm sorry, Seto. It was probably just me in a bad mood." But then the pain stabbed once more, causing her to buck down in pain. She would've fallen over if Seto hadn't caught her.  
  
Yami strode down the hallway. The time had come. Someone was after him. He saw Seto and Anzu down the hallway, and saw as a tear slipped from her eyes. "What's wrong, Seto?" Yami asked sternly.  
  
"Something's wrong with her, Pharaoh. One second she's perfectly fine, the next second she's falling in pain." Seto gently set the girl down in Yami's arms.  
  
Anzu glanced up at Yami, her blue eyes brimming with sorrow. "I'm sorry, Yami." She whispered. She then collapsed.  
  
~Yami's Chambers~  
  
Anzu awoke once more to find the throbbing pain in her head gone, and Yami pacing at his window. "Yami?" She groaned.  
  
"Anzu!" Yami rushed over. "You're awake!" Then his eyes bore into hers. "What's wrong, Anzu?"  
  
"I can't." She held her head again, the pain coming back briefly. "I can't tell you, Yami. I want to, but." Her head was numb with pain again. "Ugh!" She collapsed into Yami's arms in pain and sobbed. "I can't! Tonight." She wailed helplessly.  
  
"Anzu, stop it!"  
  
~Nighttime~  
  
Anzu groaned. It was time. She dressed quickly, her arms and legs moving hypnotically. She worse her hair in a tight bun so she'd looked foreign, and put on the uniform she'd stolen earlier from a guard. She stood, looking like a handsome icy-blue-eyed man adorned in red and gold before her mirror. Remembering the paint and intricate little details on the guard's arm, she used a paintbrush and ink to begin drawing on her arm.  
  
She used light strokes and bold strokes to paint a roaring golden lion, but she squeezed in the lion's roaring mouth a tiny red rose and the initials "D.R." on it. She felt awful. Both choices would've resulted in death either way. She didn't want Bakura to claim any lives, but she had no choice. He fully controlled her now.  
  
Killing Yami was going to be difficult. A tear rolled down her cheek, splattering the paint on her arm. Then she became bold. She lived to kill. Killing was her duty. Before robbing, she had assassinated many innocent and greedy people.  
  
Surely her past couldn't be ignored. Jason had hardened her, yelled, screamed, hit, urged, and pushed Anzu to the very limit that she became a walking nightmare to everybody, including Jason and herself. She couldn't stop because of some silly Pharaoh's life.  
  
An evil side of her took on. (Author's Notes: Eek! Evil Anzu! And this 'Evil Anzu' isn't her Yami, by the way! ^_^). 'I am Desert Rose. The Anzu Mazaki in this palace is never to be remembered EVER again. I will defeat Bakura eventually, but not yet.after I get the Millennium Puzzle, I will.'  
  
Anzu broke down again. She clobbered at her head. She was beginning to become into the exact copy of Bakura. She had to admit, Yami was very special to her. She petted Saluki. "I'm sorry, Saluki." She whispered.  
  
She then bent down to stretch. It was painful, though it shouldn't have been, since she had stretched to kill many times. She did the splits a couple of times consecutively, and pushups and crunches. She arched her back repetitively and sighed. It was time.  
  
She then fought an invisible partner, circling around, jabbing, sneaking, and going through all of her strategies. She prayed to Ra that her sins would never be forgiven, but to honor Yami.  
  
Anzu then set out. She stood outside Yami's doorway. She had no recollection of telling Yami the word "Tonight" before she passed out, so she thought that she'd give Yami poison, but she kept a blade tucked in her boot just in case.  
  
With a soft 'click,' she opened the door, and saw a bundle underneath silk red covers. Trembling, she kissed the covers gently before flipping them gently open, but all she saw were pillows. "You won't find me in bed." Yami smirked, with a dagger in his hand. It was lucky that Anzu had her Millennium Necklace to tell him about an assassin that night before she fainted. He'd have to thank her later.  
  
Yami's eyes widened at the costume the assassin was wearing. It was a guard's costume, fully adorned in bright gold and red. Intricate black and red strokes ran up her arm, leading to a golden roaring lion. However, the middle of the lion's mouth was splattered wet, and it was hard to make out what the lion had inside its mouth.  
  
They circled each other, unaware of whom Anzu was. "I'm sorry, Yami." She whispered under her breath. Yami looked deep into those fathomless, deep, never-ending icy blue eyes. For a second, he caught a glimpse of love and fear. He shook the thought away. Nobody with compassion or caring would be an assassin.  
  
Anzu then lashed a fist out at Yami, who easily dodged it. Yami dropped his knife. "Let's fight." He whispered in a hoarse, deadly voice.  
  
They went through a series of kicks and punches, routines of every kind. Neither Yami nor Anzu landed a hand on their opponent. The two were too fast and experienced for each other.  
  
Unexpectedly, Anzu flipped over Yami and took the dagger out of her boot. She slit a cut into his arm. Yami gasped at the contact. He glared at his attacker, and let out a battle cry, and taking a couple of knives from the hilt of his belt, he aimed. The knives pinned Anzu to the wall.  
  
Anzu gasped in surprise. This had never happened to her before. Now she was pinned helplessly to the wall with only four simple knives, and Yami himself thinking she was a boy.  
  
Anzu pulled out each knife one by one while Yami built up his rage. Before she pulled out the last knife from the wall to free herself, she got sliced in the wrist. She flipped back. Blood dripped from her wrist onto her delicate fingernails.  
  
Pain filled her brain and clouded her head, but she cleared her head. Never had she had such a tough opponent. She refused to cry out in pain and instead, bit her lip as she lunged for Yami's heart.  
  
Time seemed to stop for Yami as the attacker came flying at him. He lunged backwards into a back bridge as a simple reflex, and cut his opponent's neck in the way. A trickle of blood splattered down on him. The slight cut would not result in a huge scar, but just a small deep cut triggered by the tip of his blade.  
  
His arm was badly cut, and the knife missed his heart and instead, lashed a deep cut into his forearm, where he had gotten hurt before.  
  
The night flew by as they wounded each other constantly, both drenching their clothes with a mixture of sweat and blood. At about one in the morning, Yami snatched the cloth off Anzu's face. She turned around to face the wall. Yami gasped. It was a GIRL.  
  
He tried to pry the girl to face him, to recognize the face of his great opponent. She may have been an assassin, but she was a great fighter. But her shadow was hidden in the dark.  
  
Anzu jumped off of Yami's balcony, leave a long trail of blood behind her. She landed softly on the ground. Tears dripped from her face, trailing into her bloodstained uniform.  
  
She disappeared back into her chambers, where she securely bolted the door, shredded her uniform, and scrubbed the paint and blood off of her. She winced at the awful beating Yami had given her. There was a deep gash in her wrist and a deep but slight cut on her neck. Luckily, the dagger had missed her arteries and veins.  
  
Placing green leafs and paste on the wounds, she winced once again in pain. Blood trickled from her neck and wrist, staining the pure water.  
  
She let the cut on her neck be, but wrapped layers of heavy bandaging on her wrist. Her sprained leg hurt terribly. She limped out of the fragrant bath hurting and aching all over, her foot straining, and smiled at the simple sight of a bed and not Yami, a person she cared for deeply, bleeding and trying to kill her.  
  
She tucked herself into the welcoming bed, where she had yet another dream.  
  
~Anzu's Dream~  
  
Bakura: 'Mortal! Why didn't you kill him?'  
  
Anzu: 'I couldn't. Yami means so much to me.'  
  
Bakura: 'You have two more nights, mortal. Two more nights, and then your precious will be gone.'  
  
Anzu: 'Stop it Bakura! I got injured along the way, okay? Yami's too powerful.'  
  
Bakura: 'Yet you have more experience, my lovely Desert Rose. After all, YOU killed your father, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?'  
  
Anzu **close to tears**: Stop it Bakura! He was whip-lashing my mother and me!'  
  
Bakura laughed evilly. 'I'm sure, mortal. I'm sure.' With a last cackle, Bakura disappeared from her dream.  
  
~Back to Present~  
  
Anzu bolted upright. That voice.it was terrible. She then turned to her bed and sobbed back to sleep, with the memory of the dagger penetrating her father, as her father was about to kill her. "No." She whispered. "Not again."  
  
* * *  
  
Author's Notes: There you have it. Chappie 10! Another mystery of Anzu's past has been opened - she killed her father! There are two days left. Hope you enjoyed chapter ten. Once again, thank you to DarkWings of Faith for her idea on the midnight encounter. R+R please! 


	11. Kari

CHAPTER ELEVEN KARI  
  
Author's Notes: A new character gets introduced in this chappie - you'll have to read on to find out who ^_^. Enjoy, and R+R please! Sorry for the late posting!  
  
Mai and a new girl with long auburn hair and welcoming brown eyes rushed in, and shook Anzu awake. "Anzu! Wake up! Yami's been hurt - terribly!"  
  
Anzu's eyes snapped wide open. "Yami!" She kept in an ear-piercing scream as the night's events flooded back, and bit her lip.  
  
"Hurry and get dressed." The other girl held up a lavender-colored silk dress. "My name is Shizuka. I am the daughter of the Priest Gozin (Author's Notes: I know that's a stupid name - sorry, can't think of anything at the moment)."  
  
"Hi." Anzu stuttered.  
  
"What are you waiting for? Change! Hurry!" Hurriedly, Anzu changed, rushing into the restroom. She straightened the ruffles on her wrist as to hide the deep cut there. There was a deep red gash of dried blood on her neck. It was barely noticeable except when you got up close, but it pained her awfully.  
  
She winced at herself. She was pale, her hair tousled, eyes dark and frightened, and legs quivering. A large purple bruise had appeared on the side of her hip and her leg, and she was glad for the floor-length dress.  
  
She then noticed cuts and scratches running along her thigh and stomach. 'Never mind that,' she thought, they wouldn't leave scars. Nothing would leave a scar - it never did (Author's Notes: Let's also just pretend her Necklace has the power of hiding scars).  
  
She stumbled out, leg hurting terribly. She limped to the bed, where Mai and Shizuka were waiting impatiently for her. "Hurry, Anzu!" Shizuka pushed Anzu forward and they marched her to Yami's room.  
  
~Anzu and Yami Alone in his Chambers~  
  
Anzu entered slowly, as to try to hide her limping foot. Yami was lying beneath a sheet. Breathing heavily, her heart skipped a beat when she saw him.  
  
Strands of fine golden hair were on a white pillow, but what intrigued her most were his closed eyes. And he looked weakly up at her, opening those large, passionate eyes.  
  
The amethyst of those eyes pierced her heart. She bit her lip. She was too selfish. She could let Bakura spread her secret. Her one treasured secret - she'd be beheaded, but it was better than letting Seto and Yami die. If she gave Yami her Millennium Necklace to wield as well, he could overcome Bakura. At least he'd have a chance (Author's Notes: Aw.Anzu's getting soft ^_^).  
  
"Are you okay, Yami?" She asked, clasping his hand in a tight grip. Yami stared straight into two blue eyes. They were never-ending and fathomless, full of deep dark secrets that would be carried within her mind forever.  
  
"Anzu." He whispered softly. A soft smile came upon his face. "My time on Earth is spent."  
  
"No it isn't." Anzu panicked. The pain of her own wounds was racking her. She'd sacrifice herself for Yami if she had to. Rapidly, she ran back to her chambers and took medicines and herbs out of her cabinet.  
  
"A dose of Caltenint and Vitaore should ease the pain." She whispered quickly. "The Mitoare should help clot the blood." She then placed several lotus flowers around Yami, the symbol of healing. 'Sekhmet, please help Yami.' She thought.  
  
Yami felt painless. His slashed arms didn't hurt as much, a cut in his chest he hadn't noticed before didn't hurt as well, and he felt.very much alive. He felt the energy flow back into him - slowly, but it came.  
  
Anzu knelt by Yami's bed, battling the pain in her head.  
  
~Anzu's Thoughts~  
  
'What are you doing, you foolish mortal?' Bakura hissed.  
  
'Simple,' Anzu replied, holding back tears, 'I'm helping Yami. You can take me, but not Yami nor Seto. Never.ever.'  
  
'MORTAL!' Bakura thundered. He was afraid this would happen. Afraid that the girl would stand up. But he got an idea. "Mortal, you don't think that your secret of Desert Rose is all I have, do you?'  
  
'What do you mean?' Anzu stuttered.  
  
'I mean.Kari.' Bakura's red eyes glowed, and a little girl with short blond hair at the age of ten appeared. It was her sister. The sister her mother had left her before she died. The daughter of Jason, the one Amy wouldn't allow him to know about. The tiny three-year-old toddler. Kari was left in a separate orphanage for toddlers. Anzu had escaped easily at only eleven, after a year of planning and devising to get Kari. Unfortunately, she never found Kari.  
  
'Kari!' Anzu yelped. The same glimmering green eyes as her mother's stood out, her father's rich-blond hair mussed up and brown. It was Kari Mazaki.  
  
'Anzu!' Kari yelled. It was the sister Bakura had told her about.  
  
'Sorry to break up a family reunion, but I must leave now - with Kari. Make up your mind, Mazaki.' Bakura disappeared in a whirl.  
  
~Yami's Chambers~  
  
"Kari!" Anzu's blue eyes were shot. Instinctively, she checked on Yami, to find him peaceful and sleeping. She kissed his forehead lightly, her eyes shimmering with sadness. She looked out a window. It was nighttime, the full moon shining brightly, casting its glare on her pale face. 'I'm must've dozed off,' she thought hurriedly.  
  
A moment later, she bolted out of the room, eyes fierce and red, ready to tackle Bakura. She'd rack the spirit out of Ryou if she had to.  
  
She flung open the door, and sight before her almost made her faint.  
  
~Ryou's Chambers~  
  
She froze. It was Isis, passionately kissing an innocent-looking, beet-red Ryou. She saw his Millennium Ring flung on the stone table, but she refused to look at them. "Isis!"  
  
Isis and Ryou broke apart immediately, both turning a deep shade of maroon. In contrast to his white hair, Ryou looked very strange. "Um.hi.Anzu." Isis laughed uneasily.  
  
"Isis." Anzu's blue eyes blazed like bolts of fire. "I need to speak to Ryou alone. It's something personal. I'm sorry."  
  
Isis left quickly, too mortified to say anything. Anzu bolted the door, sealing it crack to crack with the magic of her Necklace.  
  
"Ryou Bakura." She met those innocent, brown eyes. "You evil fool! You idiot! You treacherous spirit!"  
  
"I don't think you're looking for Ryou." A new, cooler voice came, and Ryou, screaming for help, was knocked dead faint as a new form arose from the Millennium Ring.  
  
Anzu would never forget his face. His snow-white hair was slick and his figure was a mere silhouette against the dark evening. His pure red eyes, glimmering with the evilness of the horrid spirits came out to meet the moonlight of the full moon. His teeth, as his smirk curled into an evil smile, matched the color of his hair, and he bared teeth. Awful, fanged teeth that were dripping with imaginative blood, like a werewolf.  
  
Anzu found herself outside on the grass, sending death glares to Bakura. "I want Kari back." Anzu whispered in a cool, dangerously low voice. "NOW, you bastard."  
  
Bakura laughed - an insolent type of laugh that howled deep into the forest. The dark cast of the tall trees seemed to beckon down upon her. Just by the blowing of the wind, Anzu felt afraid and utterly tired from the battle with Yami the night before. "INSOLENT MORTAL! NOBODY calls Bakura a bastard!" Bakura seemed more alive and drawn than in her dreams. He seemed.real. A strange grey-red extract the color of his eyes flowed from Bakura's finger.  
  
It drew closer and closer, menacing with tiny slits in its eyes. The monster clawed at Anzu, and for the moment, she felt like a helpless child. Bakura seemed to loom closer and closer at every minute, until a startled cry stopped him.  
  
It was high-pitched, shrill, and seemed to stop time. It was Kari. "Anzu! Anzu-chan!" She was running towards her sister, tears streaming out her big green eyes.  
  
Anzu felt determination flooding back. "Kari." She whispered. She stood up, confidence filling her weakened legs. As Bakura was staring in shock, red eyes glowing, Anzu did a roundhouse kick straight into Bakura's neck.  
  
In those few moments, she saw pictures of her sweet, sweet, mother calling out to her, the enraged, finely-drawn handsome face of her drunk father, and she remembered the orphanage. The orphanage, where she escaped by motivation of her sister. The orphanage, where she was cold towards anyone but her sister - but they were torn apart. Images of swearing with her own blood for Desert Rose filled her confused mind. Then reality broke.  
  
Unfortunately, Bakura's sensitive ears heard her first and his hand grasped her leg, and Anzu immediately felt searing pains going through her leg. She screamed, a high, terrifying, ear-piercing, earth-shattering scream that seemed to tremble the earth.  
  
"No!" Kari yelled. She strapped herself onto Bakura's back in a piggyback, pulling his hair back. "Don't touch my sister!" She yelled.  
  
Bakura tried prying Kari off, but she wouldn't budge. He then enveloped her with him back into the Millennium Ring, and he smirked one last time. "I'll get you next time, Mazaki. Soon enough."  
  
Anzu brought a fist down to meet the ground, a battle cry escaping her lips. Streams of blood ran down her leg. The earth seemed to tremble under the tremendous force of her cry. "Kari." Anzu dozed off in the forest, curled up in a ball. She didn't care. Not anymore.  
  
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Author's Notes: That's Chappie 11! I really hope you enjoyed it! So.Anzu has a mysterious sister to thicken the plot. Please read my newest ficcy that I just posted up - Angel of Darkness! It's a Anzu/Yami ficcy as well! Anyways, R+R please! 


	12. Confessions

Author's Notes: My Angel of Darkness fic was deleted by my sister's friend, and she stole my disk, so until I get my disk back, I'll post it up then. I finally created another chappie - yay! I'm sorry for the late update. I was busy writing up and brainstorming ideas for a Roman Gladiator Fic that will probably be an A/U. It should be up in a month or so, due to that fact that I want to perfect it ^_^.  
  
Thank you so much to my kind reviewers! I have worked so hard on this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it! Enjoy, and R+R please!  
  
CHAPTER TWELVE CONFESSIONS  
  
Yami jolted up on the bed, his back no longer feeling like it had needles in it. He could hear the fist brought down to the ground. He shook, sweat pouring down his face. "Anzu!" He sat up, voice serious. Only Anzu would have a crisis like this. His wounds from the fighting didn't hurt one bit.  
  
Jumping up from the warm bed, cold air met his chest. Yami dressed quickly, and head out into the warm night to search for Anzu. Yami ran and ran, the echo of Anzu's petrified voice ringing in his ears. Anzu was hiding something. Some secret that she wouldn't tell him.  
  
The woods looked scarier at night, the trees leaning down, the full moon glowing brightly in a velvet blue sky. The slightest pink on the horizon lifted just a bit. Big yellow owl eyes peered down at him.  
  
Yami then found a figure leaning against a large oak tree, blood flowing freely down the pale legs, seeping into a beautifully sewn silk lavender dress. A coat of chocolate-colored hair was flipped across the lady's face.  
  
Long, slender fingers met with a hand that had a gash in the wrist. Thoughts of the assassin flowed into his mind. He checked the girl's neck. Sure enough, by the throat and on the neck, was a cut of dried blood. Yami gasped.  
  
It was the assassin! Why would she be lying there in the dark (Author's Notes: Yami doesn't know that this is Anzu yet)?  
  
Carefully and slowly, Yami parted the soft hair. So luxuriant and soft.but that didn't matter. He fingered the soft touch one last time, before parting the delicate hair. He needed to find out who it was.  
  
Light dawned upon him, and he shook with fear as he saw Anzu's delicate face and features, outlined beautifully, her eyes closed. Was she.dead? Her eyes were half-slit and the blue of her sapphire eyes dulled.  
  
Placing two fingers on her neck, he steadily took her pulse. It was faint, but steady - had she been through something terrible? After the healing she had given him, he doubted it could've been a physical injury, but more of a soul-hurting injury.  
  
He stroked her face lovingly with pain that wrecked his heart. Why would this sweet creature want to hurt him? She was undoubtedly the same girl as the night before. After all, she had the same fighting skills, wounds, and piercing, heart-wrenching blue eyes.  
  
Yami scooped Anzu up easily in his arms. She felt light as a feather, and limp as well. She'd explain everything later - the secrets she was hiding, and most importantly, her past. His figure disappeared into the shadows as he darted back into the palace, and gently laid Anzu in his chambers.  
  
  
  
~Anzu and Yami back in Anzu's Chambers~  
  
  
  
Anzu fluttered her eyes open and found herself staring at a magnificent painting. She squinted an eye fully open. Red velvet cushions were on a gold-and-red velvet chair, with light blue silk curtains draped across the window.  
  
On the floor was a beautiful, intricately designed fur rug with pictures of lions and Millennium items. Sunlight beamed through the window drapes, and when her hand brushed the ground, she felt cold marble.  
  
Her body felt limp, but she struggled and managed to sit up. Her head hurt, but she wasn't as cold anymore. She saw Yami, and gasped.  
  
When he turned and she read the expression in those deep amethyst eyes, she gasped and nearly fainted. He knew. He knew that she was the assassin.  
  
"Anzu." He looked straight into two blue saucers of fear. She backed away, clutching the blanket tightly. She wasn't in her bloodstained violet dress anymore, but in a comfortable white silk nightgown.  
  
Yami sat down on the edge of the bed, and reached out towards her pale face. He gently stroked a pale rosy cheek. Anzu immediately relaxed under his soft touch. She loved the way his fingers caressed her cheek.  
  
"I need your trust first, Anzu Mazaki." He whispered.  
  
Anzu bit her lip until it bled. "For your safety, I cannot." She looked regretfully into a pair of waiting amethyst eyes.  
  
"Anzu, tell me now. Now or never."  
  
His penetrating gaze never left her eyes. Anzu tore her eyes away from his beautiful eyes. She burst, "I'm sorry, Yami. Bakura is out to get you! Your ancient power! He's out to get your Millennium Puzzle! And he has my sister! My sister! My baby sister, Kari! I don't know what to do anymore." She sobbed.  
  
Anzu fell into Yami's arms, and cried, tears streaming down her face. Yami cradled her against his bare chest; the light touch of her soft hair against him, and those silent tears dripping down her beautiful face pained him. So Anzu had a motive. A deep, grave motive.  
  
"I'll help you, Anzu." Yami promised.  
  
"No.there's nothing you can do. Bakura will eventually kill you, kill me, and kill, kill," she couldn't stutter out the last fateful word.  
  
"Anzu." Yami lifted her chin up so that their eyes could lock. "I want you to tell me everything about your past. Don't leave anything out. Understand?"  
  
Anzu nodded back. "It began when I was a little girl."  
  
  
  
~Anzu's Story~  
  
  
  
"I was just about as happy as any six-year-old could be. It was two years before Kari was born. I had it all. I had happy parents, my friends, and everything you could want. I was happy.but then my happiness ended.  
  
"My father began drinking, becoming drunk. I remember him hitting my mother and slapping her. I could always hear her screams of pain and their arguments." Anzu paused momentarily, then continued.  
  
"One night, when I was still six, I heard my mother and father arguing again. But this time, he had another woman in his bed. They were both naked, and my mother was angry. VERY ANGRY. I had never seen her as mad before. So I slapped my father and then left with my mother.  
  
"Naturally, he came hunting for us again. This time, I was seven and almost eight. He raped my mother. He locked me in the bathroom and raped my mother. Then he left in a storm. My mother was too afraid to report it to the police. So mentally, bit-by-bit, I helped her heal. However, she was pregnant. She had a baby by the time I turned eight.  
  
"Two years later, when I was ten, and Kari was two, my father reentered my life. I hid Kari in her room. When I got downstairs, I saw my father, eyes crazed like a madman, trying to kill my mother. She already had many wounds on her body. Then he saw me. He told my mother to watch closely as he stabbed me to death. When the knife reached my throat, I." Anzu's voice got caught in her throat.  
  
"Continue, Anzu. It's okay." Yami once again hugged her tightly.  
  
"I stabbed him! I didn't mean to!" A fresh set of tears were now overflowing her face. "He was going to kill me. And he was going to kill Mother, and if he found Kari, he'd kill her too. I had learned self-defense after my father raped my mother. We found that pepper wasn't good enough. I always carried a dagger around with me in the streets.  
  
"They came. The law. They carried my father's body away, and shortly after, with all the wounds inflicted in her, my mother, she died. Just like that, both of my parents were dead. One was a traitor and a cheat, the other a sweet, caring soul. Right before she died, my mother handed me the Millennium Necklace. She told me to use it wisely. I took Kari in my arms and fought all the police. I could take them all down - no sweat, but they separated Kari and me.  
  
"They took Kari to a baby orphanage. She was only three, after all. I, at ten, was sent to an orphanage with talented schooling and martial arts. I became a prodigy. I defeated all of my opponents swiftly and easily, even though I was a girl. Boys tried to rape me. Most of them almost lost a body part. After a year, I decided to leave. I escaped easily. Those guards were so easy to trick.  
  
"I tried to track Kari down, but I couldn't find her. I wandered to the outskirts of Egypt. Traumatized and terrified, I swore by blood never to trust or love again. I became Desert Rose, and an assassin. I killed so many people, Yami. Mostly thieves, though. I stopped my killing after a spiritual visit by my mother in my dreams. Then all I did was rob for the poor. However, I never stopped my training. I was still ruthless.  
  
"I met Isis and Malik Ishtar then. A couple of scoundrels that have always been out to get my hide were bothering me. In the village, I was only Anzu Mazaki, you see. Desert Rose was a complete outsider. I have to play a weak female as Anzu, or they'll know my identity. No other 'woman' can do what I can. Only when I get really hot-tempered do I fight.  
  
"One night, the scoundrels caught me in the alley alone. I was sure they were going to rape me. After seeing the damage it had cost my mother, I vowed to defeat them. I quickly defeated them all in a matter of minutes. They were simple, slow opponents. However, Malik saw me. He brought me him to Isis despite the fact that I was very reluctant.  
  
"I told Isis that I was Desert Rose after our longtime friendship. I felt I owed it to them. After all, they had taken me in and given me friendship. They understood. I've never told anybody about my past but you, Yami. Not in detail. Anyways, soon after, I met Jounouchi and Honda. I was arrested because a few guards were drunk and tried to hit on me.  
  
"They gave me memory loss powder. I ended up at your palace, Yami, where you and Seto took me to places I had never seen before. I was overjoyed. I kept having dreams about my father and mother. When Ryou got hurt, that night, I heard music in the palace gardens. Bakura, Ryou's Yami, was there. He gave me two choices - to kill you within three days, or Seto would die, or to not kill anybody, and both would die.  
  
"I resolved to warn you, but Bakura gave me this pain in my head that I've never felt before. It drove me to kill you, and I once again became an assassin. But I never achieved that serene and golden feeling that pushes me to new heights when I was fighting with you. I was equally matched with you, which should've set me off, but my heart was painfully broken. It was awful. Sickeningly awful.  
  
"After seeing you in your state, I yelled in my head that I would stand up against Bakura. Bakura, seeing he had no options left, decided to take his final weapon out. He took Kari out as bait. And now I'm stuck in this situation. I haven't seen my baby sister for seven years, Yami! Seven long years!" Tears were brimming out of Anzu's eyes.  
  
"Kari and you mean the world to me, Yami. Kari is the only family I have left, and you are the one I broke my blood vow to. You are my one love, Pharaoh."  
  
  
  
~End Anzu's Story~  
  
  
  
Yami listened to Anzu's tale patiently. When she confessed her past and secrets, he was completely horrified. She had a past life that no one should've ever lived through, especially not this young girl. When she confessed her love, however, Yami just stared deep within those blue orbs.  
  
"I love you, Yami." Her voice broke.  
  
He finally spoke then. "I love you as well, Anzu Mazaki. You are unique, and you are the one." Yami took a final glance into those teary blue eyes, and Anzu into those fathomless, handsome amethyst eyes. Leaning down, the two met in a kiss so full of love it could banish any evil that was in their presence.  
  
  
  
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Author's Notes: Another chapter is finished! Yay! So, you have Anzu's past now, and all of her secrets and confessions to Yami, as well as her love to him, and his love to her. Chapter 13 might not be out too soon, due to the fact that I have many school projects -_-. Anyways, until next time! 


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